Lifehacker

Throughout the course of a day, you probably find yourself seeking feedback about your appearance more than once, whether that’s checking your weight, looking in the mirror, trying on different clothes, or snapping a selfie.

I think I could subsist on a diet made entirely of dips. Yogurt dip for breakfast, beet dip for lunch, pimento cheese or hummus for supper. I could spend my days dipping vegetables, pieces of bread, and chips into various bowls of creamy dips, and I would be happy.Read more...

Sexting, in its strictest sense, is a recent development; a saucy accessory to the advent of instant messaging. But sending naughty messages to your boo is not as new as you might think. According to historians, couples were sending racy messages to each other as far back as World War II.

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Cookout season is finally upon us—but with all the fun of cooking and eating outdoors comes additional food safety concerns. You’ve probably eyed a creamy potato salad and intuitively known it’s probably not ideal for it to be sitting out in the sun all day—even though the truth about mayo may not be as scary as you…Read more...

Spam was made to be air fried. Thanks to its large amount of inherent grease, it’s one of the few foods that you can actually “fry” with nothing more than the hot, whipping winds of the air fryer. The fat renders out of the (very) processed and (very) delicious meat as it sits on the surface, sizzling away and crisping…Read more...

Apple announced a lot of new iOS 16 features for the iPhone during WWDC. If you were following along, you likely know all about the Lock Screen customization, revamped notification system, and the ability to edit and unsend messages, among other notable new options. However, there are plenty of hidden features Apple …Read more...

A few years ago, some friends appeared on a house-hunting reality TV show. They had a blast, but afterward, they revealed something that surprised me: It was all staged. They’d already purchased a house when they filmed the episode, and that house wasn’t featured on the show at all. The houses they did look at…Read more...

We usually associate kids with joyful play, romps in the yard during the dog days of summer, and intense recess games. Not all kids are the same, though, and some of them just do not love sports or what we traditionally think of as exercise. Whether it’s an overall aversion to exertion or a dislike for team sports,…Read more...

Your eyes are not deceiving you; your energy bill has gone up. According to the Consumer Index Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of energy services (including electric and other utilities) has gone up by 13.7% compared to this time last year. Luckily, there are a few ways to lower your utility bills…Read more...

Every year around this time, as I kiss my children good night in the calm, dark quiet of their rooms, I smell something that fills me with dread: Sunscreen. In the chaos of evening activities—making dinner, little league practice, homework enforcement, and kitchen cleanup—baths and showers sometimes get skipped, and…Read more...

WatchOS 9, scheduled to release this fall, has a bunch of new features you’ll want to check out. A majority of these features are fitness-related, such as a new multisport mode for triathletes, the ability to track heart rate zones, and enhanced swim tracking. It also has new accessibility features and improved sleep…Read more...

It’s easy to underestimate the amount of heat generated by sunlight streaming into your windows. Even if your home is well-insulated, intruding sunlight can cause the indoor temperature to skyrocket—and your energy bills too, if you’re using air conditioning to stay cool. Fortunately, the right choice of window…Read more...

It might be easy to forget about your air conditioning unit when it’s not in use, but as the weather warms up, you’ll want it to be in working order—and stay in working order. There are some things you can do yourself to make sure your AC unit can run as efficiently and effectively as possible all summer long.Read more...

I highly encourage stealing from your workplace within reason. Nabbing pens, taking leftover sodas from the office party—it’s nothing new. But it’s obviously important to keep your petty theft within reason, and to never get caught red-handed by your manager.

Apple held its annual WWDC keynote presentation this week, unveiling the next versions of its various operating systems, including macOS 13 Ventura. The thirteenth macOS iteration will bring tons of new features, like new productivity tools, better gaming capabilities, and updates to tons of existing apps and features…Read more...

At WWDC 2022, Apple finally gave us a sneak peek at the upcoming macOS update: macOS Ventura will ship in the Fall of 2022, but it’s already available as a developer beta (if you’re feeling adventurous).Read more...

Perhaps you have noticed that I have been thinking and writing about ice cream an awful lot. Hot weather calls for cold treats, and though I (a Pacific Northwest dweller) am still lacking consistent access to the sun, I know that it’s hot somewhere, and knowing that is enough.Read more...

Do you “feel” like your age? Our culture, families, and friends help us create an idea of what “being 25” or “being 40” or “being 60” should look like, but the truth is, there is no one way to define what a person should have accomplished by a given age. Still, you might feel uncomfortable if your perception of…Read more...

We finally have our first look at iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, the latest software updates for the iPhone and iPad. There are some revolutions here, like a totally revamped Lock Screen on the iPhone, and macOS window management on iPad, in conjunction with smaller, useful changes, like the ability to edit and undo messages…Read more...

A single, vivid red cherry on top of a sundae is an iconic visual, steeped in nostalgia. Unfortunately, it’s also the wrong move. Topping your sundae with a single cherry means you only get to eat one cherry, and I reject that notion (for me, for you, for the world). Your sundae needs multiple cherries, and those…Read more...

California is currently in the middle of a megadrought, but droughts can happen in a variety of places and to a number of different degrees. Water conservation is something you should practice now, before a drought hits, not just once one arrives. Here’s what to do leading up to and during a drought.

If you’re booking summer travel and faced with a choice of similarly priced tickets on different airlines, it’s worth doing a little homework first. The Department of Transportation recently released its Air Travel Consumer Report, and included in its findings is data on the quality of services provided by each…Read more...

Seasoning is obviously a very important part of cooking, second only to temperature control (and that’s debatable in some instances). It doesn’t just make food taste salty, it makes food taste, period. When to season and how much to season are the two factors most people worry about, but the height from which you…Read more...

We could all be a little bit better drivers. Sure, every driver (hopefully) knows the written rules of the road. Traffic laws are there to ensure you use your turn signal, stop at stop signs, and—at least in some places—preserve the sanctity of the left lane as the passing lane. What I’m interested in right now are…Read more...

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Everyone knows how to use a vacuum, even if we don’t use it as often as we should. You can be one of those vacuum ninjas who uses every single attachment for its intended purpose and shifts settings like they’re driving a stick-shift sports car in a police chase, or you could be someone who just presses the ON button…Read more...

As you dip back into lakes, chlorinated pools, and ocean saltwater, you may be wondering how often do you really need to wash your bathing suits? (Quick answer: Likely, more often than you think.) To save time—and because you don’t want it to languish at the bottom of your hamper— you may be tempted to simply hang…Read more...

If you’ve been paying attention to ADHD TikTok, you may have heard of the term “body doubling,” which is a productivity tool that is often used to stay focused and on-task. Body doubling is when another person works simultaneously with you, either in the same room or virtually. Sometimes called an accountability…Read more...

If you’ve made missteps with your credit in the past, all isn’t lost. Though you typically won’t be able to receive approval for credit cards that offer the most rewards and the best benefits, you can still start taking steps toward re-building your credit by applying for a credit card geared toward people with bad…Read more...

Swimming is a fantastic form of exercise: It’s a low-impact, full-body workout that builds cardiovascular endurance. Not only that, it’s a classic summertime activity for kids and adults alike, making it great for your health and your mood. However, swimming isn’t so great for the hair. Saltwater and chlorine will…Read more...

Apps like Duolingo and Babbel make language learning easier than ever. If you’re trying to decide which of these two industry-leading apps to use, here’s a quick guide to help you figure out which one will best help you accomplish your goals.Read more...

Car mechanic message boards are loaded with stories of customers who screw up their cars in hilarious ways. Maybe they’ve been using the emergency donut spare for a year, taking their car to an unscrupulous mechanic who only pretended to change the oil, or driving around with no tire.

The pandemic has not been kind to anyone’s mental health and, unfortunately, children’s mental health crises have been on the rise, including eating disorders. While anorexia, or a fear of gaining weight that usually presents as a restriction of food, is the eating disorder most talked about, binge eating disorder can…Read more...

When you spot unwanted grass living rent free in your flower beds, you may be tempted to spray some weedkiller to treat the area. And while that may kill the grass, it’ll also take out your flowers.Read more...

Even if you wear the right fabrics, there are certain days when the hot, sticky summer weather really makes you sweat. Perspiring profusely is bad enough, but it doesn’t end there: It may also leave yellow stains on your clothing.Read more...

Sometimes when dogs (or human children) do things they’re not supposed to do, it’s cute and funny. (Other times, it is definitely neither of those things.) When that happens, it’s tempting to laugh, smile, or flat-out encourage them to keep doing it. But, of course, this is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do.Read more...

Ceiling fans are crucial for keeping cool in the summer, especially for households without air conditioning. But if yours is wobbly, it could end up being a source of anxiety, making you sweat and defeating the purpose of having it on in the first place.Read more...

Spending time outdoors during the summer can be a challenge. On the one hand, it’s finally warm enough to be outside. But on the other hand, we know that longer periods of sun exposure isn’t great for our skin. And while we may remember to take all proper precautions—sunscreen, a hat, bringing plenty of water—when we…Read more...

The rise of smartphones with great cameras is one of many modern innovations that only reinforced an enduring fact of human existence: We’re all horny. Heck, innovation itself is horny—for a long time, the prevailing wisdom dictated that new tech would succeed as soon as someone figured out how to make it sexy. It’s…Read more...

When most of us think of registries and showers, we pair them with weddings and babies. But there are so many other lifetime milestones that it’s silly to limit them—especially for those who aren’t interested in married or having kids. You might feel weird considering asking for gifts or praise on other occasions, but…Read more...

If you watched game one of the NBA Finals on Thursday, you will have seen more than just the Boston Celtics take an early series lead against the Golden State Warriors. The fast-casual chain restaurant Chipotle Mexican Grille partnered with the National Basketball Association gave away 10,000 burritos via a buy one,…Read more...

When it comes to breakfast, the prevailing theme is carbs, carbs, carbs: a lot of cereals, toast, granola bars, and bagels. Of course, carbs aren’t bad, they’re just one element of a complete diet (and happen to be an easy option in the morning). With a little effort, though, you can add proteins, fats, fiber, fruits,…Read more...

If you’ve ever trained for a military fitness test or been made to do the presidential fitness test in gym class, you know the sit-up. Somebody holds down your feet, and you sit up as many times as you can before the test is over. But then again, you may have also heard that sit-ups are bad for your back, and that all…Read more...

I do a lot of screaming, and a non-negligible portion of that screaming is ice cream related. “Where is the ice cream scoop?!” (The drawer.) “Who put the ice cream in fridge instead of the freezer??!” (Me.) “Are we out of hot fudge???” (Almost always.)Read more...

If necessity is The Mother of Invention, then it would seem that capitalism is The Father 0f Superfluity. How many skin care lines or podcasts or artisanal gins the world needs is, I suppose, subjective and debatable, but I feel comfortable saying that the dominating motivators of invention in the modern world are…Read more...

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I remember the days when you had no idea what your cell phone bill would be at the end of the month. Back then, we were allotted something like 500 out-of-market text messages per month, and once you went over, the bill spiked to terrifying levels. Ever since then, I—like many others—have maintained a passion for…Read more...

With the growing consensus that Airbnb isn’t worth its cost these days, you’re probably back to booking hotels as the top choice for your upcoming travel this summer. And if you can afford it, you might automatically assume it’s better to opt for the most luxurious accommodations within your budget. But does a higher…Read more...

Taking young children to a hotel is quite the experience. No matter how many times you attempt to explain it, their minds remain in a near-perpetual state of awe. Is this our new house? Is this soap mine? Wait, we’re sleeping here?! Lodging at a hotel with young kids certainly can be fun, exciting, or hilarious, but…Read more...